The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek - #SRC2015

I received a complimentary book to help me write an honest review. I am participating in this year's BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge for the fun of it, reviews contain my own affiliate links for the books being read and discussed. #SRC2015

I am so excited to join in the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge again this year (#SRC2015 if you want to follow along). I have to say the line up of books (all 17) sound very exciting! Don't worry, there is still plenty of time to get involved and start reading along. Check out the Facebook Events page for more information on what books will be on the travel itinerary this season.

This year is being hosted by Jane Green and there are some great prizes you can win along the way... but, let's face it, good books and good company are their own rewards, right?

I am kicking off this reading challenge with a great book, The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek.

For a few secret months, 15-year-old Sam enjoys the unexpected attention of Suzie. However, at the end of the summer, Sam’s world unexpectedly shatters when Suzie moves away. Watching her parents’ marital troubles escalate, Suzie takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers and plans an early escape to college. Suzie misses Sam and her closest friend, Bella. It is not until years later that a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother reunites the trio, causing Suzie to confront her past, as well as her friends.

My Review

The Grown Ups is a great Summer read that follows along with 3 childhood friends. The author, Robin Antalek, has such a great mastery of storytelling and it starts right off with a great ice breaker,

It was the summer all the children in the neighborhood caught a virus.

That first chapter was filled with so much vivid detail and humor that I was quickly hooked into the story and into the neighborhood that bound the 3 characters, long after they moved away.

This story drew me in with these dynamic characters, teenagers who struggled to grow up in the midst of parental problems, their own life choices along the way and the constant struggles that life throws at them. This was such a beautiful portrayal (though sometimes in the ugliest way) of the fears and struggles faced while growing up and finding one's place in the world.




Stay tuned for another book destination next week! I will be diving right into Wishful Thinking by Kamy Wicoff.

Have you read The Grown Ups? What did you think of the story?